The present invention is related to moveable insulation and decorative window coverings, and more particularly to method and apparatus for mounting and sealing movable honeycomb insulation panels over windows.
The increased cost of energy and general raising of energy consciousness over the past decade has resulted in a developing interest in methods and apparatus for covering windows, not only for privacy and aesthetic effects, but also for insulation effect. Such window coverings, of course, have to be moveable so that they can be raised and lowered during different times of the day and during different seasons. In order to satisfy the needs of most users, they also have to be aesthetically pleasing, durable, easy to install, adjustable, and relatively inexpensive.
This combination of desirable features, including a moveable material having a significant insulating effect and being aesthetically pleasing in appearance has not been an easily attained goal. There have been a number of different developments in this area, such as the inflatable curtains disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,896, issued to R. Shore and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,584, issued to R. Steele. Another kind of development in this area includes the use of expandable honeycomb panels having a plurality of cellular tubes fastened together to form panels. U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,027, issued to W. Colson, is one example of such material. Such expandable honeycomb material appears at the present time at least to hold the most promise for meeting the goals of moveable insulation that is both aesthetically pleasing and has a significant insulating effect. It also is more conducive to mass production and mass marketing to consumers.
There are a number of problems in the use of cellular honeycomb material for moveable insulation that have heretofore not been solved. For example, most of the past effort up to this time has been directed to developing economical and suitable processes for fabricating honeycomb insulation panels that are capable of enduring long life and severe environments of high temperature and exposure to sunlight and moisture, while always maintaining an aesthetically pleasing appearance. However, prior to this invention, the methods and apparatus utilized for mounting such expandable honeycomb insulation panels over windows have been rather crude and not conducive to mass marketing or installation by individual home owners or relatively unskilled persons. Further, in order to maximize the insulating effect of the expandable honeycomb panels, the open ends of the tubular cell sections must be sealed. Prior to this invention, there was no suitable method and apparatus for mounting expandable honeycomb insulation panels over windows with the edges sealed while maintaining an aesthetically pleasing appearance and being easily operable.